Roll film container and package



Aug. 19, 1952 J. ROCKEFELLER I I ROLL FILM CONTAINER AND PACKAGE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Nov. 1, 1946 IIQVEJNTORL BEVERIDGE J. ROCKEFELLER ATTORNEY Aug. 19, 1952 B. J. R OCKEFELLER ROLL FILM CONTAINER AND PACKAGE 2 SHEETS-SHEET? Filed NOV. 1, 1946 INVENTOR BEVERIDGE J. ROCKEFELLER ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 19, 1952 ROLL FILM CONTAINER AND PACKAGE Bevcridge J. Rockefeller, Bronxville, N. Y., as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation, a corporation of New York Application November 1, 1946, Serial No. 707,117

6 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved storage and shipping container for one or more rolls of film, and to an improved package comprising a container and one or more rolls of film therein.

Heretofore, webs of film material, such as long webs of relatively wide thin film made of plasticized synthetic resin material, have been wound on cores and enclosed in built-up wooden boxes for storage and shipment. Such wooden boxes are relatively expensive and the empty built-up boxes take up valuable storage space in the factory before the rolls of film are packed therein. Furthermore, extra time and labor, and possible mutilation of the film, are involved in packing and unpacking the-roll of film in such nailed boxes; and during unpacking, the wooden boxes often become mutilated and unfit for further use because the nailed-on covers usually are ripped on.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a container for, and package of, roll lm which overcomes the above-mentioned objectionable features of prior roll film containers. More specific objects are: to provide a strong yet relatively inexpensive container which will support a roll of film out of contact with all inner surfaces of the container; a container that may' be made and supplied to a factory in conveniently storable knocked-down condition and readily built up as needed, and into which the roll of film may be easily and quickly inserted and from which the roll may be just as easily and quickly removed; and a container which may be fastened in closed condition or unfastened for removing a roll of film therefrom without the risk of mutilating either the container or the film and so that the container may be re-used for shipping purposes.

The above and other objects-and the novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following description considered with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container and a package of film embodying this invention, parts of one end of the view being broken away to show a portion of the roll of film, a support for one end of the core on which the film is wound, and the construction of the telescoped top and bottom sections of the container;

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional View of the improved container with a roll of film therein;

Fig. 3 is a plan view illustrating the type of fiat paperboard blank that is used to form the top and bottom sections of the container;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating one of the two end supports for the roll of film;

2 Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the construction of another type of end support;

Fig. 6 is a side view of another container embodying this invention, wherein two rolls of film are wound side by side on a single core which is supported at its ends and also between the two rolls of film thereon; and.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the construction of an intermediate core support used in the container shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, the container proper may comprise an elongated generally rectangular box-like bottom section B that slidably fits or telescopes into a similar but slightly larger elongated generally rectangular box-likev top or cover section T. Each of these two sections preferably is formed as needed by bending and securing together panels and flaps of a pre-formed fiat blank K of stiff paperboard. As shown in Fig. 3, the rectangular blank K desirably is scored longitudinally along coinciding lines H], H, I! and along coinciding lines l3, l4, I5; is scored transversely along parallel lines It and I1; and has transverse slits l8 and I9 at the opposite ends of and alined with the scoring l6, and transverse slits 2d and 2| at the opposite ends of and alined with the scoring 1 l. The blank K soscored and slitted, thus has end wall panels 22 and 23, side wall panels 24 and 25, a bottom (or top) wall panel 26, flaps 21 and 28 attached to the end panel 22, and flaps 29 and 30 attached to the end panel 23. A desired number of such flat blanks K so scored and slitted and suitable in size for top and bottom container sections may be supplied to the user or factory and there stacked and stored in a relatively small space until they need to be formed into box-like shape to receive rolls of film. It will be evident that when the bottom (or top) section is to be formed or set up to its box-like form, the side panels 24 and 25 are bent about the scorings II and M to a position perpendicular to the bottom panel 26; the pairs of fiaps at each end are bent inwardly about the scorings l0, I3 and l2, [5, re-

spectively, to a position perpendicular to the end flap is then secured to its adjoining side panel by suitable means, such as staples 3|. Thus, the pairs of flaps at the opposite ends of each bottom and top container-section serve to reinforce the parts of the side walls between these fourlayer portions will consist of two layers of paperboard. a

The roll F of film or sheeting comprises a wide long web of flexible material, such as'thin plasticized synthetic resin material, which is wound on a long hollow cylindrical core C of stiff paperboard or the like, so as to leave the opposite ends of the cylindrical core projecting equal distances from the ends of the roll of film. The core C, as shown in Figs. 1 and.2 for example, may beof' a diameter of from 3 to 6 inches and of a length "to carry a roll of synthetic resin film 48 inches wide, about 200-yards. long of 0.004 inch thickness 'or: about 160 yards long of 010% inch. thickness.

Eachof such rolls weighs about 65 pounds. The outside diameter of the film roll. F is less than thedepth and width dimensions. of the inside. of the container. It is very important that the heavy roll of film be supported out of contact with allinsid'e. surfaces 'of the container during storage and shipment; if it. is not so supported, the

weight of the roll Will'- press undesirable narrow 'flat. transverse zones into those portion of the filin which bear against: the container surface, andif' the-film is colored such pressure also will discolor it' a'IOng such flattened zones. Accordingly,ithe core C is supported at. its ends sov as to suspend the roll of film within the container out; of contact with all inside Walls thereof.

shown, each of the two end supports E' for the'corec' comprises a plurality orstack. of rec-- tahgular layers: or sheets S of corrugated paperboard, each sheet having a central circular hole H extending therethrough and of a diameter just large'e'nough. to form a socket for receiving a W proj'ecting end of the core C and frictionally engaging its exterior surface. The number of sheets Sfin each stack or the depth of the socket in each fend support is determined by the length of the projecting end of the core; in the end support E shown" iii- Fig. 4 the combined thicknesses of the sheets-S isequal to the approximate length of a projecting end of the core so long. as the film roll 'does not have any of the container walls, includi thestreng th'of the end support in case the containerfi's lai'di on any one. of its four elongated sides. The compressive strength ofthecorrugated sheets e'd'gewise of the sheets is greater along than across their corrugations. In thepreferred rqnnof end support E; as shown in Fig. 4, the

severalsheets S' are held or secured together. face to" faceby a suitable adhesive such as glue or cement applied to 'their mutually contacting faces; and.- acorrugated paper-board layer or sheet Se, of the same size as the sheetsS but having no-hole or'recess therein, may be glued or eemented face to face to the bottom sheet of the stack of perforated or apertured sheets S, to close the bottom of the socket and to engage the outer edge of the end of the core C. The imperforate end sheet Se in each of the end supports, being secured to the other sheets in that end support, engages the end of the core 0 toprevent the end support from sliding or pressing against the end of the film roll.

. Inthe modified form of end support E shown in Fig. 5, a stack of sheets S is held in assembled relation with the holes H thereof in alinement, by enclosing the stack of sheets in a hollow rectangular paperboard holder D which has a hole H in one of its Wide side walls that is disposed so as to aline with the alined holes H and provide a socket of appropriate depth when the stack of separate sheets S is enclosed in the holder D. As shown, the holder D may consist of an appropriately scored and slitted blank. of corrugated paperboard folded into tubular form and stapled as at 32, and suitable fiaps 33 and 34- may be provided at. its opposite ends and folded inwardly and glued'together' to close the ends of the holder D after a suitable number of sheets S are loosely inserted'therein with the corrugations of successivesheets perpendicular to one another. However, these end flaps of the holder D may be omitted, which reduces the cost of forming, manipulating and cementing them. It will be understood that a hole H is cut through only one" side of the holder D; thev opposite side remains unperforated so as. to provide a plain paperboard end wall and bottom. for the socket,

corresponding to the sheet Se of: the end. support E; toengage the end edge of: the core C: and limit the inward shifting. of. the end support.

It willbe evident that the outside dimensions of the rectangular end. supports E andE aresuch that these supportsv will. transversely conform in size to and snugly fit. into a bottom container section B at its ends that are reinforced by the internally secured. pairs of. flaps 21, 28 and 29, 3B. Thus, each end support will fit perpendicularly relatively to, and between, pairs of flaps on both the bottom and. topsections of the container, thereby considerably strengthening the end portions of the container. Moreover, the end sheet Se of each end support E, and the corresponding unperforated wall of each holder D, will provide an extra layer of paperboard to reinforce each of the opposite ends of the container axially in line with the core carrying the roll of film.

When packaging a roll of film in the improved container, an end support E (or E) is first slipped axially onto each projecting end of the core C,

so' that the cylindrical surface of each core end one another, this complete assembly may be lifted and 'set into the open top of the bottomcontainer section B; or, preferably, the bottom container section B may be inverted and pushed down over the end supports while the latter, with the roll of film carried thereby, are resting on a floor or other suitable horizontal surface, after which the section B containing the film roll and its end supports may ,be turned open side up. To complete the packaging, the top container section T, with its open side down, i telescoped down over the outside of the loaded bottom'container section B, whereupon three sheet metal bands N are pulled tightly around the telescoped Container sections and united at theirends. One band desirably is located midway between the'ends of the container and each of they other bands extends around areinforced load-supporting end portion of the container that includes the inwardly-extending flaps stapled to each side panel of the 'top and bottom sections T and B.

To unpack the roll of film, the bands N are .unfastened or severed; the top section T is lifted off of the bottom section B; and then the loaded bottom section B preferably is turned bottom side up so that it can be lifted off of the roll of film and the end supports carried by the core C. The end supports are then pulled off of the core and the roll of film is ready to be unwoundfor use. Thus, the roll of film may be quickly and easily unpacked without mutilating it and, the container sections B and T and the end supports are practically unimpaired, and suitable for re-use if desired.

It is often desirable to pack and ship in the same container two narrow, and sometimes differently colored, rolls of film wound side by side on the same core. This is accomplished, as shown in Fig. 6, by using an improved container of the sam construction as the one illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, in which end supports of the type already described receive and support the projecting ends of a tubular paperboard core C having wound thereon two narrow rolls of film F and F". Here, however, the adjoining ends of the two film rolls usually are spacedapart at some point between the supported ends of the core C, and there is a tendency for the core to bend at'that point and thus permit the adjoining ends of the film rolls to press against an inner surface of the container. Accordingly, I provide suitable means to additionally support the core C and thereby keep the rolls F and F axially in line and suspended centrally in the container. As shown in Fig. 6, such intermediate supporting means comprises a pair of V-shaped members or saddles A, A, loosely inserted in the container section B above and below the core C and-in the space between the adjoining ends of the film rolls. Each saddle, as shownin Fig. 7, may be formed from a fiat rectangular sheet of corrugated paperboard having a central circular hole H" cut therethrough, similar to the sheets S used in constructing an end support E. To complete the formation of a saddle, the flat blank is scored across one face perpendicular to the corrugations in the blank and along a line coinciding with a diameter of the hole H". Then the blank is bent along the scoring to a V shape, thus providing two connected supporting limbs 35 with a semi-circular recess 36 in each limb at the apex of the V-shaped support. Each recessed part of the saddle closely fits and extends half way around the outside surface of the intermediate exposed part of the core C.

When the saddles are in place in the packed container as shown in Fig. 6, the end edges 31 of the limbs 35 of saddle A will engage and extend across the inside surface of the bottom panel of the container section B; the corresponding end edges of the limbs of saddle A will engage and extend substantially across the width of the top panel of the container cover section 'tainer.

.6 T; and the opposite side edges 38 of each saddle will engage and extend about half way across the inside surfaces of the opposite side panels of the container section B. As shown, the outside surfaces of the sides or limbs 35 of each saddle may engage the opposing ends of the film rolls F and F, to re-movably wedge the saddles in the space between the ends of these rolls and thereby facilitate the simultaneous insertion of these saddles together with the film rolls, core and end supports into the bottom container section B. Where the space between the adjoining ends of the rolls F'and F" is very narrow it will be evident that the limbs of each saddle A, A may be pressed close together and even in face to face contact without sacrificing the supporting function of the saddle.

While this improved container is especially adapted for the storage and shipment of rolls of thin plastic film, it will be understood that rolls of other kinds of film and flexible sheeting may be similarly packaged in this type of con- The principal parts of the improved container, such as the box sections B and T, the core C, and the end supports E or E, should be made of stiff and'light material, and preferably are made of paperboard, which term is'intend'ed to include paper and like fibrous material such as pasteboard, corrugated paper (either single or double wall), and solid fiberboard. It also will be understood that changes may be made in some structural details of the improved container disclosed herein without departing from the scope of this invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A package for shipment of a roll of film comprising elongated telescoping rectangular paperboard container having generally similar 'opposite'ends of said container, each of said supports having an area substantially the sameas the inner transverse cross-sectional area of the container when closed and each having a central socket receiving and snugly and directly fitting a projecting end of said core, said supports being insertable transversely into and removable from said container as a unit assembled with said core and the roll of film thereon, each of said supports comprising a stack of corrugated paperboard layers each having a centrally disposed core end receiving recess and approximately onehalf of the layers in each support having corrugations extending perpendicular to those in the other half of the layers, and at least one unrecessed outer layer of paperboard at the outer end of each stack facing the adjacent end wall of the container, means retaining each of said layers in contacting relation face to face with its adjoining layer and with the recesses thereof in axial alignment providing said central socket fitting the core ends and With an unrecessed layer forming a bottom for the socket and engaging an end face of the core end received therein, the combined thickness of the recessed layers of each of said supports being less than the length of the projecting core end beyond the end face of the film wound thereon, whereby each end supacme 7 port. is-spaced from and retained out, of contact with. the adjacent. end face of the film roll and the film roll is supported in a position such that application of pressure against either aperipheral or an end face thereof is prevented.

2. In a storage and shipping container for two rolls of film or similar flexible sheet material wound in. spaced apart relation on a single core that projects from the roll ends remote from one another, an elongated box, end core supports adjacent and removably fitting Within the opposite ends of said loox, each of said endv sup.- ports having a socket fitting a projecting end of said core, and intermediate core supports removably fitting within said box and recessed to engage opposite sides of said core between said rolls.

3. In a storage and shipping container as defined in claim 2,, said core being cylindrical, and each ofv said intermediate supports comprising a substantially V-shaped member having semicircular recess means at its apex to fit said core.

4. In a storage and shipping container as defined in claim 2, each of said intermediate supports including a V-shaped membercomprising av sheet of corrugated paperboard having a hole therethrough and bent along a diameter of said hole perpendicular to the corrugations in said sheet, to provide a pair of supporting limbs for said member and a pair of recesses at the apex of said member to fit said core.

5. A package of film or the like comprising,

parts engaging. inside, surface portions of, said container, the, construction and arrangement of said end supports being such that they are frictionallyattached to the ends of said core and are insertable into and removable from said container together with said core and the rolls thereon.

6. In a storage and shipping container for a roll of film woundv on a core projecting from the opposite. ends of said roll, an elongatedbox, and supports, adjacent and removably disposed within the opposite ends of said box, each of said supports having a central socket. receiving a pro.- jecting end of said core, said supports being insertable into and removable from said box with said core and the roll of film thereon, each of said supports comprising a stack of sheets. of corrugated paperboard with the corrugations generally parallel to two of the container walls, each sheet having a. central hole therethrough, and, a box-like holder for each stack of sheets and having a hole extending centrally through one of its walls, said'holder holding the sheets in combination, a cylindrical paperboard core, 7

two rolls of film wound, on said core intermediat its ends and leaving a space and an exposed portion of said core :between adjoining ends of said rolls and also leaving said core ends projecting from the other ends of said rolls, an elongated rectangular paperboard container of greater depth and width than the outside diameter of each of said rolls, and removabl supporting means in said container for supporting said core and for holding said rolls out of contact with all inside surfaces of said container, such supporting means comprising two rectangular paperboard end supports and two paperboard intermediate supports, each end support having a central circular socket receiving and frictionally engaging a projecting end ofv said core and restraining lateral displacement of said core and the rolls thereon, each intermediate support comprising a. removable saddle located between said adjoining roll ends, each saddle being recessed to fit and engage an exposed intermediate portion of said core and also having of each stack in face to face contact with the corrugations in some sheets arranged at right angles to those in the rest of a stack and the holes of each stack of sheets axially in line with one another and the hole in the wall of said holder, to provide the central socket adapted to receive and fit a projecting end of said core.

BEVERIDGE J. ROCKEFELLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 905,449 Morton Dec. 1, 1908 1,048,831 Harris Dec. 31, 1912 1,128,868 Gilbertson Feb. 16, 1915 1,362,282 Beadle Dec. 14, 1920 1,655,071 Oppenheim Jan. 3, 1928 1,808,651 Gibb et a1 June 2, 1931 1,850,718 Henderson Mar. 22, 1932 1,950,908 Stone et a1 Mar. 13', 1934 1,989,053 Hills et al. Jan. 22, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 24,370 Great Britain 1910 395,043 Great Britain July 13, 1933 415,169 Great Britain Aug. 23, 1934 656,487 Franc Jan. 2, 1929 

